Hatching with 2 broodies

[tommysgirl]

TG, I can see why you are keeping those two! I love them! Maybe a cross you should duplicate in the future???

The school house/broody coop is finished!!



The rowdy crowd just moved in this morning. A number of them are already roosting waaaay up there!

Sad news, my FIL's horse passed away the night before last. He was 33 and had a good long life. It was sad to hear my horse calling for him non-stop though. My husband is really a softy deep down, he couldn't handle listening to him. We got home at dusk last night and I went to lock the chickens up. Lucky, the hawk attack survivor, was outside the coop acting a bit confused. I collected eggs and did my nightly count. Her sister (same breed, hamburg) was missing. My husband was pretty upset about that too because those two were stuck together like glue. Again, the softy comes out, and he gets on the four wheeler and does a sweep of the property for her. No sign at all. She did lay an egg yesterday, so it was probably late afternoon to evening when she went missing. She and lucky had been venturing farther and farther away from the flock. I was hoping she just got lost and would show up this morning for breakfast. No luck so far. I guess I paid the Mother Nature tax again.

Anyhow, back to cleaning for me! I hope everyone enjoys their weekend!

This looks amazing!!! What are the dimensions again? Your DH is building a work of art.

and re those two bantams...yes we are going to hatch more and I think sell hatching eggs at some point when we can show pics of what they grow into and know if they are sex linked. Regardless they are cute!

 

[halfbakedtulip]

@tommysgirl Mg is Mycoplasma gallisepticum. It is a respiratory infection that is extremely contagious and if treated they stay carriers for life. I am really really hoping that isn't what it was. The frizzles have a vet appt tomorrow so I am hoping she can tell me how soon we can test for it.

I am so stoked to see your babies! One of our eggs is a milles fleur with a white silkie dad mix. Oh I do hope it is as cute as yours!

 

[16 paws]

MistyMountain,

I am so sorry to hear about your fil horse that passed. That is very tough to deal with.

I hope the missing chicken happens to turn up somewhere.

The coop is amazing, tell your hubby well done! The rowdy bunch sounds like they will love it in there. Nice and sturdy.

Have a great day everyone...
Marie

 

[ShelbyCoral]

So I last night, I had a chick hatching. Well, it turned out it couldn't get through the shell or peck it! I was hearing clicking and other stuck other than chirping. I check the egg open and sure enough, shrink wrapped. I got her out and she looked completely fine! Fact she looked better then I have ever hatched! She is doing so well! Loves to be held and cries allot. Lol she is a joy. She is EE/BCMarans she looked blonde at first wet but now she is black.

 

[missnu01]

Another reason I prefer the incubator. I can help anyone that needs help. So far haven't had it go wrong. Sometimes I just open the top half and let them come out when they are ready, but that way I know they are fine and can breathe. Anyway glad your chick is doing well. Helping a hatching chick isn't the devil.

 

[16 paws]

So I last night, I had a chick hatching. Well, it turned out it couldn't get through the shell or peck it! I was hearing clicking and other stuck other than chirping. I check the egg open and sure enough, shrink wrapped. I got her out and she looked completely fine! Fact she looked better then I have ever hatched! She is doing so well! Loves to be held and cries allot. Lol she is a joy. She is EE/BCMarans she looked blonde at first wet but now she is black.

Hi ShelbyCoral,

I have never had to help a chick hatch. Could you please tell me what you do? I noticed missnu01 said to open the top but how do you do that?
Just in case I have to assist some time I guess I better know something.

Thanks so much and I am glad you were there again to lend a hand for your chick!
Marie

 

[16 paws]

@tommysgirl Mg is Mycoplasma gallisepticum. It is a respiratory infection that is extremely contagious and if treated they stay carriers for life. I am really really hoping that isn't what it was. The frizzles have a vet appt tomorrow so I am hoping she can tell me how soon we can test for it.

I am so stoked to see your babies! One of our eggs is a milles fleur with a white silkie dad mix. Oh I do hope it is as cute as yours!

I am sorry that happened...

I hope you get good news at the vet....
Hang in there, things will get better
Marie

 

[missnu01]

So I last night, I had a chick hatching. Well, it turned out it couldn't get through the shell or peck it! I was hearing clicking and other stuck other than chirping. I check the egg open and sure enough, shrink wrapped. I got her out and she looked completely fine! Fact she looked better then I have ever hatched! She is doing so well! Loves to be held and cries allot. Lol she is a joy. She is EE/BCMarans she looked blonde at first wet but now she is black.

Hi ShelbyCoral,

I have never had to help a chick hatch. Could you please tell me what you do? I noticed missnu01 said to open the top but how do you do that?
Just in case I have to assist some time I guess I better know something.
Thanks so much and I am glad you were there again to lend a hand for your chick!
Marie

well what I meant was if a chick pips, but doesn't seem to be doing too well then I will very carefully make the hole a little larger then I will chip away the shell basically all around the air cell, then I just remove that part so the chick is sort of sitting there in half the egg. I'll wrap the remainder of the egg in a damp paper towel then set it back with the other eggs. And eventually that chick will emerge and grow up to do just as fine as the others. There's a thread on here about assisted hatching that helped my first time. After the first time is pretty easy. If possible don't remove a chick from the egg because 9 times out of 10 they just aren't ready yet. But my here's your way out tactic seems to cause no harm and allows the chick to come on out when it's yolk is fully absorbed. I just do it so i know they cab breathe if they are taking awhile. So far have only lost one chick during hatching. It didn't pip at all external or internal. It was positioned all wrong. I wasn't brave enough to pen up an egg with no pip. Should have. Could have probably saved that one as well. Or there may have been something wrong with it that caused it not to get into position in the first place. I'll never know. Either way chick's usually pip, zip, And exit through the big end of the egg, so I just make a window when one is getting really weak. That way I know they are OK. Hasn't caused any issues with the rescued chick's or the chick's getting ready to hatch. I don't see what the big deal is. Wrapping it in the moist paper towel prevents the humidity from dropping and like I've said, I've gotten all prefect hatches save the one chick that didn't make it, and 0 brooded deaths. So just because a chick needs a little help hatching doesn't mean it's sick or weak, or anything else.

 

[MistyMountain]

MistyMountain,

I am so sorry to hear about your fil horse that passed. That is very tough to deal with.

I hope the missing chicken happens to turn up somewhere.

The coop is amazing, tell your hubby well done! The rowdy bunch sounds like they will love it in there. Nice and sturdy.

Have a great day everyone...
Marie

Thank you, Marie. No sign of her yet. We were putting a new roof on the barn yesterday and I kept hearing squirrels and thinking it was her wandering back through the woods. I guess you can count her (Dotty) as number 3 predator attack on the farm. Her sister, Spotty, got killed by a hawk on Christmas day. Then lucky got hit 3 days after--- but she survived thanks to Willie Roo. All three were silver spangled hamburgs. Pretty, funny little things but because of all this predator attention they will not be a breed I will keep in the future. I guess buying that crazy mix in the first place was a good idea. I now know some of what I want as well as exactly what I do not want!

The crew is having a blast. Roosting on any ledge that is big enough in there!

 

[MistyMountain]

This looks amazing!!! What are the dimensions again? Your DH is building a work of art.

and re those two bantams...yes we are going to hatch more and I think sell hatching eggs at some point when we can show pics of what they grow into and know if they are sex linked. Regardless they are cute!

It's small, 4' x 4'. 4' under the eaves and 6' or so in the middle. Without deep litter, I can stand up straight in the middle. (doesn't take much though, only 5'3 here!)

Oooh! I would take some of those if you could supersize them! Littles don't last around here! I was thinking on names… if you got a tan roo with a black crest you could name Bert (like Bert and Ernie!).